What the World Needs Now
by lovelylittleflowerchild
Summary: Is love, sweet love. A fluffy collection of petite AU one shots that gives the world exactly that.


Hello people! I was going to post this at Valentine's Day, but I'm impatient and the world really could use some love! I hope you all enjoy! As always, AU is everywhere.

* * *

"Daddy what's love?"

Tony looked up from his newspaper and saw Rose sitting on the living room floor. In front of her were about a dozen paper hearts in various sizes. As she reached for a sheet of paper, he pondered her question, trying to select the perfect answer.

"Well…love is-love is hard to explain Rose."

"Why?"

"Because-there are different kinds of love."

Rose cocked her head to the side, giving her father a questionable look. "How can that be?"

"Well, there's lots of different things to love in the world, so there's different kinds of love."

"Oh." Rose paused and looked to the mantle. Indicating a picture of Tony and Maria, she spoke. "What kind of love is that?"

Tony looked at the picture; oh how it brought back memories. Although the picture was taken only eight years ago, it seemed longer.

"That's-that's the best kind of love."

"Why?"

"Because _that _kind of love, can only be possible with a very special person."

"Like Mommy?"

"Yeah, like Mommy," Tony said with a smile.

"Well what makes Mommy special?"

What made Maria special? Tony didn't even know where to begin. "Mommy is special because-" Tony looked back to the mantle. "because when that picture was taken, Mommy and me made a promise that we would always love each other and be with each other."

"Whoa! That must have been some pinkie promise."

Tony smiled at Rose. "It was more than a pinkie promise Rose; but it was _some_ promise; it was _great _promise to be exact."

Rose got up from the floor and settled herself in Tony's lap. "Will I ever make a great pinkie promise with someone?"

Tony took in a deep breath; the thought of Rose, his little girl who liked glitter and tea parties, growing up and getting married was just…odd. The thought of all three of his children growing up and getting married was odd. Maybe it was because he himself had gotten married so young, that now, he wanted to preserve those precious years known as childhood for his kids.

"Someday. Someday a _very _long time from now."

"Well that's okay Daddy; I think boys are kinda yucky."

Tony delivered a kiss to Rose's head, pleased in her decision. "That's what I like to hear."

* * *

One evening, Carlos watched his mother dry and put dishes away. After seven years, he'd grown used to sitting at their small kitchen table after dinner, watching his mother clean up. He'd grown used to the sound of the neighbor's television penetrating through the thin walls; he'd grown used to the background noise of cars and barking dogs as he went to sleep each night. He'd even grown used to the way the fire escape rattled when a stray cat would venture up the ladder in the darkness. But, there was one thing he still had, in some ways, not grown used to.

"Mama would he of loved me?"

Anita froze, her dish cloth slipping into the soapy water. "Would who of loved you?"

"You know; _him._"

"Carlos I've told you; your father would of loved you a lot."

"Would he of loved me like how Uncle Tony loves Maribel, Rose, and Gabriel?"

It was all Anita could do to not tear up. She took in a deep breath and smiled at the child seated at the table. "_Si_. He would of loved you like that."

"That's nice to know. Because Uncle Tony loves them a lot." Carlos studied his mother's face. That was another thing he'd picked up on in his seven short years; whenever he mentioned his father, her eyes would take on this bittersweet look. "Did he love you a lot too?"

"Yes. He did."

"Like how Super Man loves Lois Lane?"

"Well, there were times your father believed he was a super hero," Anita said with a melancholy smile. She hated to admit it, but Bernardo had been like a Super Man; her Super Man. And unfortunately, he'd come in contact with his kryptonite.

"If he was here Mama, would we all love each other?"

"Of course we would. That's what families do; they love each other."

Carlos got up from his chair and put his arms around his mother. "But we're still a family even though he isn't here, right Mama? 'Cause we love each other."

Anita ran a hand over Carlos' hair; she often wondered where he got his thoughtfulness from. "Of course we are _mi amor_. Family is never measured in people; it's measured in love."

* * *

"Hi Mommy!"

"Hello girls. How was school?"

Rose quickly removed her coat and threw it over one the kitchen chairs. "Good."

"That is nice to hear." Maria then looked at Maribel, who had the most gloomiest look on her face. "_Querida, _what ever is wrong?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." Maribel slumped into a chair and rested her chin on the edge of the table. As Maribel began to tug on loose threads from the tablecloth, Maria chased Rose away from the cookie jar.

"Rose we will be eating soon."

"But…"

"Rose, no." Maria picked Rose's jacket up from the chair and handed it to her. "How about you take your coat upstairs?"

Rose grabbed her coat from Maria and trotted up the stairs.

"Okay Maribel, what is wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing? It sure seems like something."

Maribel sighed, knowing why her mother instructed Rose to go upstairs.

"Fine! I'll tell you! Today at lunch James Peabody wouldn't take my Jell-O like he always does. Do wanna know what he did instead?"

"What did he do?"

"He took Jackie Brown's Jell-O! So I was stuck eating yucky green Jell-O instead of chocolate pudding! I HATE JELL-O! AND BOYS!"

Maribel crossed her arms and stared out the kitchen window. As she kicked her foot across the floor, Maria sat down next her. She gently put her arms on Maribel's shoulders and looked into her eyes.

"Do you like this boy James?"

"I did. Now he gives Jackie Brown his chocolate pudding and not me. Mommy why are boys dumb?"

"Oh Maribel, boys are not dumb; they are just hard to understand sometimes."

"I see. Did a boy ever not give you his chocolate pudding?"

When Maria really thought about it, before Tony, there never was another boy; of course she didn't have to tell Maribel that.

"Of course there was. But someday, you will find a boy who would be more than glad to give his chocolate pudding to you."

Maribel looked up at her mother, a grin making its way across her face. "Is Daddy the boy who shared his pudding with you?"

"Yes. He is."

* * *

"This is such a lovely dress; you are going to make some man very happy." Anita looked up at the young woman she was helping.

"Yeah, I guess," the girl replied. She twisted a lock of her blonde hair around her finger, not meeting Anita's eyes.

"You guess? Well before you take the dress with you, you better sound more ready than that."

The girl watched Anita walk to the counter and pick up a handful of pins. "You married?"

"No. But I was in love once." As Anita marked where she was taking the dress in, she watched the girl weave in and out of the dress mannequins.

"I wish I was in love."

"You are not?"

"Well…" the girl paused and moved closer to Anita and, almost in a whisper, shared something with her. "The truth is, I'm only getting married because my parents are friends with the boy's parents. They think if I marry him it'll be a way to make up for their short comings."

Anita stared at the girl. Her green eyes seemed to be filled with a sadness that was the effect of being stripped of your right to love.

"Why do you not just say no?"

"Oh…I couldn't do that; besides, everything's already paid for and…my parents would be furious with me."

"Forget about them. If you are not in love, you are not in love."

The girl dropped her eyes to the floor. She couldn't understand how a complete stranger, so different from herself, understood better than her own family.

"You're right; why should I be miserable my whole life? As crazy as it sounds, I want to marry my _true_ love." The girl took her coat off of the coat rack and before leaving, looked at Anita.

"I won't need the dress anymore. And thank you; you probably saved me from a life of unhappiness."

"No problem. And I do not think it is crazy to wait for your true love."

The girl smiled at Anita and walked outside into the brisk February air. Anita headed back to her sewing table, smiling as well.

* * *

This year, Tony was going to get it right. This year, he wasn't going to get stuck in traffic on the way home from work and miss reservations, drop a bouquet of flowers in a parking lot, or buy a card at the last minute that had no thought whatsoever. This year was his year; he was finally going to make Valentine's Day special for Maria.

He knew that she probably would protest against any sort of flattery, but that wasn't going to stop him. For once, he wanted things to be perfect for him and Maria on Valentine's Day; he wanted one of those movie-perfect Valentine's Days where everything and anything is just…_perfect_.

He'd left work half an hour early to beat all the traffic, asked for his flowers to be wrapped in plastic, and actually read the card he picked out; he didn't want a repeat of the Sympathy-Valentine's Day card mishap from last year. And as he pulled into the driveway, he smiled, knowing that after eight years, he got everything right.

"Hey Maria, I got…"

"Oh I am so glad you are home. Can you run out to the drug store?"

"Uh, sure. Why?"

"Maribel is sick. And I know that we had plans tonight, but…"

Tony took Maria's hands and smiled at her. "Maria, it's fine; these kinds of things happen. What do you need me to get?"

Rose came running into the kitchen and looked at Maria. "Mommy, Maribel threw up on our carpet. Hi Daddy."

"Hi Rose." Tony picked his keys up off the table and smiled at Maria. "I'll be back."

* * *

As Tony walked out of the drugstore, he bumped into a teenage boy who seemed to be in a rush to get inside.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. You know that they close in five minutes?"

They boy let out a sigh of frustration and dropped to the curb. "God, my girlfriend is gonna kill me! This is our first Valentine's Day together." The boy glanced up at Tony, blushing at how corny he sounded. "Not that you probably care."

"Believe me, I've been there."

The boy looked up at Tony again, thankful he found someone who understood him. "You gotta girl?"

"In fact I do. Have so for eight years now."

"Oh, I see. Does she get mad if you forget Valentine's Day?"

"Not really. Guess I'm just lucky. Now, the anniversary is a different story."

The boy managed a laugh and got up from the curb. "Well, I better go; know any good excuses?"

Tony looked at the boy and got an idea. As he opened up the passenger side door, he picked up the bunch of flowers intended for Maria.

"Hey, I'm not going to be needing these. Do you want them?"

The boy looked at Tony like he was crazy. "Uh, sure. What's the catch?"

"None. But if I were you, I'd throw the card away that's with it."

"Of course; thanks again."

"No problem." As Tony started the car, he watched the boy get into his own car. And as he drove back home, he knew that what he did was right. After all, love is shown in all sorts of ways; and Tony bet that running out to buy anti-vomiting medicine fit into that spectrum somewhere.


End file.
